Watch The NBA Playoffs Online For Free

UPDATED JUNE 6, 2013: WATCH NBA PLAYOFFS ONLINE – NBA FINALS

The 2013 NBA Finals are finally here! It’s Big Three against the Big Fundamental, as the Miami Heat face the San Antonio Spurs for the 2013 NBA Championship. All games of the NBA Finals will be streamed in HD on WatchESPN (which requires a cable subscription to watch ESPN online). Take a look at the announced NBA Finals schedule and where to watch the NBA Finals online starting tonight.

UPDATED MAY 22, 2013: WATCH NBA PLAYOFFS ONLINE – CONFERENCE FINALS

The 2013 NBA Playoffs are down to the final four teams, and we’ve finally got some consistency on where to watch NBA Playoffs. These series will not keep switching networks nightly as they had done thus far in the playoffs — both the Eastern and Western Conference Finals will be streamed and are available online each night. The Indiana Pacers-Miami Heat Eastern Conference Finals will be streamed for free on TNT Overtime. Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies-San Antonio Spurs Western Conference Finals will be streamed on WatchESPN (which requires a cable subscription to watch ESPN online). Let’s look at the announced NBA Conference Finals schedule and where to watch NBA Playoff games online.

The 2013 NBA Playoffs are charging forward, and we’re tipping you off on where to watch the NBA Playoffs online without taking a charge. While those games streamed onWatchESPN require a cable subscription towatch ESPN online, those games onTNT Overtime are free online for everyone to watch. The networks are passing their coverage back and forth, so let’s look at the announced NBA Playoffs schedule and where to watch NBA Playoff games online.

UPDATED APRIL 19, 2013: WATCH NBA PLAYOFFS ONLINE – FIRST ROUND

The 2013 NBA Playoffs are tipping off, and we’re tipping you off on where to watch the NBA Playoffs online. Those games streamed on WatchESPN require a cable subscription to watch ESPN online, while those games on TNT Overtime are free online for everyone to watch. The networks are passing their coverage back and forth, so let’s look at the announced NBA Playoffs first round schedule and where to watch NBA Playoff games online.

This season marks the first NBA Playoffs in which you can watch NBA games live online for free, all the way through the NBA Finals.Free and legal streams are available for all remaining 2012 NBA playoff games, provided by the networks broadcasting the games. Each remaining game of the 2012 playoffs will be streamed on the Internet free of charge. Better yet, if you have Internet television, you can watch the game on the big screen.

There is, of course, a catch – in fact, there are more catches than on a “SportsCenter” highlight reel. No single site streams all of the games. Each game’s streaming site changes from night to night, so you have to know which network is carrying the particular game you want to watch online. We should note that some of the games are only available to subscribers of certain cable providers.

Finding the right place to watch the NBA playoffs online can be more confusing than the Defensive Three Seconds rule, so let’s look at how you can watch NBA playoffs online on a series-by-series basis.

WATCH SPURS-THUNDER NBA GAME LIVE ONLINE

Cable network TNT is streaming each game of the San Antonio Spurs- Oklahoma City Thunder series online for free, with no cable subscription required. It’s called NBA TNT Overtime, and all you need to watch the game is a broadband connection, a computer or mobile device, and the ability to tolerate Craig Sager’s jacket.

NBA TNT Overtime provides online viewers with a different game experience than TV viewers. Games are broadcast on an interactive four-screen interface, with each of the four screens providing a different camera angle. Viewers can pick one of the camera angles and watch it in full-screen, and then drag in other angles for picture-in-picture. Watching all four camera angles simultaneously can be an exhilarating and dizzying experience.

You still get the real-time game audio of the TNT announcing team and can hear the halftime antics and analysis of Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Ernie Johnson. That said, you don’t get to see game highlight footage or the onscreen statistical analysis. You do get to see the halftime entertainment act for fans in the arena along with the back view of the halftime studio crew.

NBA TNT Overtime does not provide the “Inside the NBA” pre-game and post-game shows, but you can watch that video online the next day on NBA.com.

VIEW HEAT-CELTICS NBA GAME ONLINE

ESPN is streaming the Miami Heat-Boston Celtics series live online with their WatchESPN.com video player. The games are available for free to cable subscribers once they verify a cable subscription. On top of that, only certain cable companies are on the list of participating providers. The two biggest cable providers in America, Comcast and Time Warner, are both on the list.

The game watching experience on WatchESPN.com is similar to what you’d see on television. The commercials, though, will be for an ESPN broadcast, property, or highlight show. ESPN makes some hilarious and entertaining commercials that are still funny on their ninth viewing. Magic Johnson, Michael Wilbon, and company will still deliver the pre-game analysis and the halftime show.

You do not get the post-game show, nor that evening’s episode of “SportsCenter.” Within minutes of the game ending, you get a standard “Sorry!” screen informing you the broadcast has ended. NBA playoff games are not available on demand afterward on WatchESPN.com.

WATCH NBA FINALS ONLINE

ABC has been one of the leading networks in providing TV shows on the Internet, and their partnership with ESPN allows you to watch the NBA Finals live online for free. Those WatchESPN.com cable provider restrictions still apply. The NBA Finals begin Tuesday, June 12, with a possibility of starting Sunday, June 10 if both Conference Finals series end early.

Access and viewing experiences may differ by region and IP address, particularly for you international NBA fans. If you have different experiences than described above, or if you can watch four camera angles at once without getting motion sickness, let us know in the comments.

About The Author

Joe is a San Francisco tech blogger, sports journalist, and regular contributor to the RealPlayer blog. His background writing technical manuals and internet marketing content fostered his interest in web video, while his two years writing for NBC fostered his interest in cracking bad jokes. Joe’s work has been quoted in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal on days when their editors made particularly strange decisions.